make it an adventure

Yesterday we spent the holiday at my sister's in-laws (because our families are cool like that). Going there is a treat for my kids because the house is big, it has its own special play room, a sprinkler was involved, an uncle plays with them, cousins are around and different toys abound! In the morning I decided to have a little fun with them and ask if we should go on an adventure. Well if that didn't perk their little heads right up! It was cute to hear their ideas of an adventure - the park, the library - but mine won for sure and excitement ensued. We had a good time. Fast forward 24 hours and I needed to take a small road trip by way of highway 6 for 75-90 minutes each way... with all three angels. My biggest concern is keeping my sleep-deprived self awake while driving through the mountains, but coming in second is keeping those whiny little beasts happy. So I pulled "adventure" out of my magic hat and geared them up to be excited.  We piled into the car and the ever predictable "I'm hungry" rang out. But I was prepared with an uncommon treat at our place: graham crackers, which could be consumed after the apple slices. They were cool with that, I mean, it was graham crackers. Next on our adventure we counted the trains, both stationary and mobile, passed on our journey. This is probably Joel's favorite part. Halfway there I broke out the portable DVD player (thanks mom!) and Dr. Seuss entertained the older two the rest of the way.  Our adventure to the McDonald's playground (because my children get excited about McDonald's playgrounds) was a success and because they were pretty well behaved they got some ice cream on the way out. Talk about sticky happy (quiet) children! But the real fun happened on the way home. So, for whatever random reason, there is a replica of a train at a random stop on highway 6. I found it on accident last month. Boy was that fun. :-)  What really happened? I think I gave them a positive label to place on the experience. I think I gave them a positive way to look at the bulk of their day. I think I put out some positive energy to feed off of.  I hope I taught them something about perception and attitude. It could have been a boring 3 hour drive. But we made it into an adventure instead! It was a good reminder for me. Oh, I should mention that while at the train rest stop a real train passed by and Joel shot both hands high into the air and shouted, "Two trains! Two trains!" Cutest thing all day.

american gypsy

American Gypsy Lately, my "cardio" session distractions have included TLC and My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding.  Okay, at first it was like watching a train wreck (meeting your future spouse at a party designed for such a purpose) You don't want others seeing you gawk at the mess (getting married at 16 as a norm) but it is just too much devastation to look away from (girls and boys with very different rules). Then I moved onto aghast (throwing a wedding together in a week). After that it became judgment (as of that isn't obvious by now) and from there mental mocking (wedding dressing with more bling than a corner jewley store) with disbelief scattered throughout. And then it hit me today like a wet towel in the face[SNAP!]: these people are just like me! And what's more, I admire them. Let me explain. The scene was of three teen girls at the mall, looking very teen girlish indeed. Enter two teen Romanichal gypsy boys who the girls know they are not allowed to even speak to. (In fact, there were three females because one was serving as an escort as Romanichal gypsy girls are not allowed out without one.) And they obeyed their rules! These kids were living in "the world" but not being "of the world" (as they define it). I had a hearty internal laugh at myself.  In the LDS religion we have a saying about living in the world but not becoming part of the world. So we go to,work and school,and parties, yada yada... But we do,not get caught up in worldly things or ambitions. We keep our eye on the eternal prize so to speak. Well, this is the task anyway. I suddenly found myself very impressed with these teens. They are able to go to high school, dress like their peers, be all teenager goofy but still maintain their cultural practices and standards! Yeah, I am impressed for sure.   And to top it all off, they are a minority group and experience all the persecutions and ostrasizarion that comes with the territory. Again, I could relate. And these teens, this whole group of people in fact, gained my respect. It is not easy to live in a world that does not accept your world. A world that treats you as a freak and looks down upon some of your most basis practices as wrong. That takes a strong soul. And it helps to have a strong family. In fact, I found myself wanting desperately to know what the parents are doing that produce children willing to be like and obey the previous generation! I mean, maybe it's just me, but I want my kids to take on my beliefs and values. If I didnt believe  and value them, I would have passed them up long ago. These things mean so much to me and I want them to mean something to my off spring. So these gypsy moms and dads... They have something figured out.